The provision determines the rules of assigning and using domain names (addressing modes) in the Russian net sector of the Internet.

The provision is to be complied with by all physical and juridical persons regardless of their nationality and citizenship.

1. Basic terminology

IP-address is an address determining the information place in the Internet expressed in digital form. IP-address is presented by four digital fields separated by dots (e. g. 194.138.115.20). Domain name is symbolic presentation of IP-address (e. g. www.infoart.ru).

The RU zone is a complex of domain names allocated for the Russian net sector of the "Internet".

Site in the Internet is a structured set of information having an IP-address and also a domain name.

Official site in the Internet is a site of a juridical person with its name and essential data.

Server is a complex of technical means enabling to publicize information in the Internet.

Internet Provider is an organization providing Internet access services and servers' installation and maintenance.

2. On orderly assigning and using domain names.

2.1 A domain name (address) of an official site in the Russian sector of the Internet (in the RU zone) is an obligatory requisite and should be indicated in all forms of accounting for the following Russian juridical persons:

• Open type stock companies;
• Joint-stock companies;
• Companies engaged in bank, finance or insurance activities regardless of property forms;
• Companies engaged in foreign trade activities regardless of property forms;
• Companies producing excised goods regardless of property forms;
• Mass media;
• special vocational and higher education institutions;
• Communications companies.

2.2 The juridical persons listed in the clause 2.1 are obliged to place their properly addressed official sites in the "Internet", the time limit being Dec. 31, 2000.

2.3 The official Russian juridical persons' sites should be placed only in the Russian sector of the "Internet" (in the RU zone) and only on the properly licensed Internet providers' servers.

2.4 In case a juridical person should in compliance with the law in action submit for common use an official information concerning its activity, the information should be also available at its official site.

2.5 In case a juridical person is carrying out an activity to be obligatory licensed, all the information concerning its license should be available at its official site.

2.6 The domain names registration rules in the Internet Russian sector include formal notice concerning applicant's responsibility for placing an unreliable, false and/or other information, the dissemination of which is limited by the RF laws in action.

2.7 The responsibility for unreliable information placed at the sites in the Russian sector of the Internet rests with:

• in case of juridical persons' sites with the company head;
• in case of physical persons' sites with the physical person registered its domain name.

2.8 Assigning and using some special domain names is being done in compliance with a special order. Such domain names are connected with the names using words and/or phrases having state, historic, cultural or other special meaning (e. g. www.russia.ru, www.kulikovopole.ru, www.lermontov.ru). Such domain names are given the Special Domain Names status (SDN).

2.9 The "Provision on assigning and using SDN" together with the list of SDN is worked out and adopted by the RF Press, TV, Radio and Communications media Ministry. The "Provision" envisages the order of assigning and using SDN, the limitations in using SDN and extra payments for it being included.

3. On organizing a national domain names registration system.

3.1 Coordination and control over the process of assigning and using domain names in the Russian sector of the Internet is the duty of the RF Press, TV, Radio and Communications media Ministry together with the RF Telecommunications State Committee.

3.2 Distribution of domain names and control over their using is being done through the Domain Names Registry (DNR).

The Domain Names Registry is a data base containing information about all the domain names of the Russian Internet sector. DNR includes 7 regional departments (according to the number of aggregative RF regions).

3.3 All the DNR data base information copy-rights belong to the RF.

3.4 The Domain Names data base and DNR copy-rights are transferred to the DNR Operator. The DNR Operator is a newly formed organization, acting in compliance with the "Provision on DNR Operator", with the "Provision on assigning and using SDN". This new organization is supposed to be accredited at the RF Press, TV, Radio and Communications media Ministry and at the RF State Telecommunications Committee.

3.5 Organizational details concerning the DNR Operator and the "Provision on DNR" are to be worked out and adopted by the PF Press, TV, Radio and Communications media Ministry together with the RF State Telecommunications Committee.

3.6 Financing the DNR Operator is to be done at the expanse of the persons registering and using their domain names. The tax fees for registering and using domain names are set according to the necessity of providing DNR Operator's self-financing.

3.7 To secure effective functioning of the Russian Internet sector the RF State Telecommunications Committee is authorized to make certain corrections to the license agreement terms, set by the Internet services providing companies.

3.8 The official sites placing an information, being in its character or otherwise not in compliance with the Federal Law "On Mass Media", are subject to registration as a mass media at the RF Pres, TV, Radio and Communications media Ministry.

The RF Government Head,
V. V. Putin,
Dec. "__" , 1999

English translation by the Citizens' Watch, St. Petersburg